Sheldon via Deep Dale and Magpie Mine

Walk Posted on 12 Oct 2011

This is a fairly short circular walk with a moderate terrain and a small amount of climbing. To get to the start of walk, go along the A6 from Bakewell heading towards Ashford. After passing Ashford take the next left. Then when the road bears left, there is a small entrance straight ahead. This is the start of the path. The path begins by the side of the River Wye, which meanders through the dale. Further down the path, we approached what appeared to be an old derelict mill. At this point, the path creeps behind the mill, and is then surrounded by woodland. We then came across some crossroads. Turnning left would take us on a short cut to Sheldon, and heading right would lead to the A6. To get to Deep Dale we carried straight on, sticking to the path right up until the start of Deep Dale.

At the entrance to Deep Dale, the map indicates that some kind of ancient settlement is nearby, although it seemed to be away from the path and surrounded by dense foliage. The dale is quite a long one, about a mile and a half long, flanked by very steep banks. The path starts on the left hand side of a dry stone wall, but further down past a herd of cows, it crosses over to the right hand side. The dale ends by joining Wheal Lane, a small dirt track popular with motorcyclists. Turning right on this road would eventually take you to the village of Taddington. By continuing forward, we approached part of Flagg Lane, a long and straight road which occasionally busy with fast traffic.

We continued up the road, crossed in front of the junction, and then took the path on the left hand side of the road that heads up to Magpie Mine. This path diagonally crosses a few fields before reaching the mine. Magpie Mine is a lead mine with an engine house, and is built in the Cornish style. The mine is usually very quiet, and has an eerie feel about it. The path then meets the path from the road, and this part heading towards Sheldon can seem a bit confusing, but they basically cross the fields. By folloing the signposts, we managed to reach the village.

Sheldon is a small village, not far from Bakewell. It offers a pub, called the Cock and Pullet, which serves food and drink. We continued down through the village until the road bears left. The path starts on the left hand side, and goes over the brow of the hill, instead of down by a wall. The A6 and Ashford can be seen in the distance at this point. After continuing over the hill, we began to appoach the starting point of the walk, thus bringing it to a conclusion.